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Procedure for
Selection and Use of Personal Protective Equipment1
Government of the
Republic Regulation of 11 January 2000
entered into
force 24 January 2000.
This Regulation
is established on the basis of subsection 3 (5) of the Occupational Health and
Safety Act (RT I 1999, 60, 616).
§ 1.
Scope of application
(1)
This procedure applies to all fields of
activity within the scope of application of the Occupational Health and Safety
Act.
(2)
This procedure provides the conditions
for the selection and use of protective equipment and any additions and
accessories thereto intended for the personal use of workers, including clothing
specifically designed to protect workers against hazards likely to endanger
their safety and health at work.
(3)
For the purposes of this procedure, the
following are not deemed to be personal protective equipment:
1)
ordinary working clothes and uniforms;
2)
equipment used by emergency and rescue
services;
3)
personal protective equipment worn or
used by the military, the police and other public order agencies;
4)
sports equipment;
5)
personal protective equipment for means
of transport;
6)
self-defence or deterrent equipment;
7)
portable devices for detecting risks.
§ 2.
General requirements and obligations
(1)
The employer is required to provide
personal protective equipment to workers when safety and health risks present at
the workplace cannot be avoided or sufficiently limited by technical means of
collective protection or by measures, methods or procedures of work.
(2)
The employer shall take the necessary
measures to ensure that personal protective equipment meets the general
requirements for health protection and safety and that the procurement of such
equipment is guided by the principles laid down in § 3.
(3)
The employer shall provide personal
protective equipment free of charge and organise the necessary maintenance and
cleaning thereof at the expense of the employer.
(4)
The employer shall make sure that all
personal protective equipment:
1)
fully meets the need for protection;
2)
does not require excessive physical
effort on the part of the user and does not reduce the effect of any device worn
by the user to correct his or her sight or hearing;
3)
fits the wearer correctly;
4)
corresponds to existing conditions at
the workplace;
5)
complies with ergonomic requirements
and corresponds to the worker's state of health.
(5)
Where the presence of more than one
risk makes it necessary for a worker to wear simultaneously more than one item
of personal protective equipment, such equipment shall be compatible.
(6)
The employer is required to:
1)
ensure that provision is made at the
workplace for facilities for the storage and maintenance of personal protective
equipment;
2)
keep record of the items of personal
protective equipment issued to workers;
3)
repair or replace, at the employer’s
expense, any item of personal protective equipment which becomes unfit for use
before the end of its working life;
4)
take the necessary measures to ensure
that personal protective equipment issued to workers is in good working
condition and clean and that it is regularly inspected and maintained in
accordance with the instructions supplied by the manufacturer;
5)
arrange for training for workers and,
if appropriate, organise demonstrations in the wearing of personal protective
equipment, and to inform the workers of the risks against which the wearing of
the personal protective equipment protects them;
6)
organise, pursuant to the Waste Act (RT
I 1998, 57, 861; 1999, 23, 353), the handling of personal protective equipment
with a best-before date which has passed or which has become unfit for use due
to any other reason and the handling of the exchangeable parts of equipment
which have become contaminated;
7)
indicate danger zones where the use of
personal protective equipment is mandatory by appropriate safety signs.
(7)
Workers shall maintain personal
protective equipment in good working condition and inform the employer or the
representative of the employer of any breakdowns of or shortcomings related to
the personal protective equipment.
(8)
Working environment representatives are
required to monitor that workers are provided with appropriate personal
protective equipment which is in good working order.
(9)
Persons responsible for the design of
construction works and the development of work technologies shall take the
requirements for occupational health and safety into account hygiene with the
aim of minimising the need for personal protective equipment. Where the use of
personal protective equipment is still necessary, the designer shall prescribe
the types of personal protective equipment to be used and provide the procedure
for the use thereof.
§ 3.
Assessment and selection of personal
protective equipment
(1)
Before choosing personal protective
equipment, the employer is required to analyse and subsequently assess the risks
which are present in the working environment and which cannot be avoided by
other means than by using personal protective equipment.
(2)
After the risks have been identified,
the need for protection shall be assessed and the characteristics which personal
protective equipment must have in order to be effective against the risks shall
be determined.
(3)
When selecting personal protective
equipment, the employer shall ensure that the equipment meets the requirements
provided in subsections 2 (4) and (5). The employer shall also take into account
the risks and other influences which the equipment itself may create.
(4)
The assessment shall be reviewed if any
changes are made to the working environment or to any other factors which may
influence the assessment.
(5)
The specimen table provided for in
Annex 1 may be used as a guideline upon the survey of the risks present at the
workplace and upon selection of appropriate personal protective equipment.
(6)
A non-exhaustive guide list of items of
personal protective equipment is provided in Annex 2.
§ 4.
Use of personal protective equipment
(1)
The employer shall ensure that personal
protective equipment is used in compliance with the instructions supplied by the
manufacturer and that it is used from the commencement of dangerous work until
the completion of the work, and shall monitor its use.
(2)
The conditions of use of personal
protective equipment, in particular the period for which it is worn, shall be
determined on the basis of the seriousness of the risk, the frequency of
exposure to the risk, the characteristics of the workstation of each worker and
the performance of the personal protective equipment.
(3)
Workers are required to use personal
protective equipment in compliance with the user manual and the instructions
provided by the employer.
(4)
When organising work, the employer
shall take into account the additional physical or mental stress which the use
of personal protective equipment may cause to workers and, where necessary,
prescribe breaks, restrictions on use or other such measures to maintain the
workers’ capacity for work.
(5)
Personal protective equipment is, in
principle, intended for personal use. If the circumstances require personal
protective equipment to be worn by more than one worker, the employer shall take
appropriate measures to ensure that such use does not create any health or
hygiene problem for the different users.
(6)
A non-exhaustive guide list of
activities and sectors of activity which may require the provision of personal
protective equipment is provided in Annex 3.
§ 5.
Consultation of workers
The employer
shall consult the workers and working environment representatives on matters
related to the selection of personal protective equipment and determination of
the conditions for the use thereof.
1
Directive 89/656/EEC (OJ L 393,
30.12.1989, p. 75) of the Council of the European Communities.
Annex 1
to the Procedure for Selection and Use of Personal Protective Equipment
Specimen table
for risk survey and selection of personal protective equipment
|
Parts of the
body |
Head |
Cranium |
|
Ears |
|
Eyes |
|
Respiratory
tract |
|
Face |
|
Whole head |
|
Upper limbs |
Hands |
|
Arms |
|
Lower limbs |
Feet |
|
Legs |
|
Various |
Skin |
|
Trunk/abdomen |
|
Gastro-intestinal tract |
|
Parenteral
passages |
|
Whole body |
Risk factors
|
Physical |
Mechanical |
Falls from a
height |
|
Blows,
crushing |
|
Stabs, cuts,
grazes |
|
Vibration |
|
Slipping,
falling over |
|
Thermal |
Heat, fire |
|
Cold |
|
Electrical |
|
|
Radiation |
Non-ionising |
|
Ionising |
|
Noise |
|
|
Chemical |
Aerosols |
Dust, fibres |
|
Fumes |
|
Vapours |
|
Liquids |
Immersion |
|
Splashes,
spurts |
|
Gases,
vapours |
|
|
Biological |
|
Harmful
bacteria |
|
Harmful
viruses |
|
Mycotic fungi |
|
Non-microbe
biological antigens |
Annex 2
to the Procedure for Selection and Use of Personal Protective Equipment
Non-exhaustive
guide list of items of personal protective equipment
|
Head
protection |
Protective
helmets (mines, building sites, other industrial and forestry uses) |
|
Scalp
protection (caps, bonnets, hairnets, etc.) |
|
Protective
headgear (bonnets, caps, sou'westers, etc. in fabric, fabric with
proofing, etc.) |
|
Hearing
protection |
Earplugs
and similar devices |
|
Earmuffs |
|
Earmuffs
which can be fitted to industrial helmets |
|
Full
acoustic helmets |
|
Ear
protection with intercom equipment |
|
Eye and
face protection |
Spectacles |
|
Goggles |
|
X-ray
goggles, laser-beam goggles, ultra-violet, infra-red, visible radiation
goggles |
|
Face
shields |
|
Arc-welding
masks and helmets (hand masks, headband masks or masks which can be fitted
to protective helmets) |
|
Respiratory
protection |
Dust
filters, gas filters and radioactive dust filters |
|
Insulating
appliances with an air supply |
|
Respiratory
devices including a removable welding mask |
|
Diving
equipment |
|
Diving
suits |
|
Hand and
arm protection |
Gloves to
provide protection from machinery and equipment (piercing, cuts,
vibrations, etc.) |
|
Gloves to
provide protection from chemicals and from heat |
|
Gloves to
provide protection for electricians |
|
Mittens |
|
Finger
stalls |
|
Over-sleeves |
|
Wrist
protection for heavy work |
|
Fingerless
gloves |
|
Protective
gloves |
|
Foot and
leg protection |
Low shoes,
ankle boots, calf length boots, safety boots |
|
Shoes which
can be unlaced or unhooked rapidly |
|
Vibration
resistant shoes, boots and over-boots |
|
Shoes and
overshoes with heat resistant soles |
|
Thermal
shoes, boots and over-boots |
|
Shoes and
boots with pierce-proof soles |
|
Thermal
shoes, boots and over-boots |
|
Vibration
resistant shoes, boots and over-boots |
|
Anti-static
shoes, boots and over-boots |
|
Protective
boots for chain saw operators |
|
Clogs |
|
Removable
instep protectors |
|
Gaiters |
|
Removable
soles (heatproof, pierce-proof or sweat-proof) |
|
Removable
spikes for ice, snow or slippery flooring |
|
Kneepads |
|
Work
trousers with safety features (for use in forestry work) |
|
Skin
protection |
Barrier
creams/ointments |
|
Trunk and
abdomen protection |
Protective
waistcoats, jackets and aprons to provide protection from machinery and
equipment (piercing, cutting, molten metal splashes, etc.) |
|
Protective
waistcoats, jackets and aprons to provide protection from chemicals |
|
Heated
waistcoats |
|
Life
jackets |
|
Protective
X-ray aprons |
|
Body belts |
|
Whole body
protection |
|
Equipment
designed to prevent falls |
Fall
prevention equipment (full equipment with all necessary accessories) |
|
Braking
equipment to absorb kinetic energy (full equipment with all necessary
accessories) |
|
Body
holding devices (safety harness) |
|
Protective
clothing |
'Safety'
working clothing (two-piece and overalls) |
|
Clothing to
provide protection from machinery and equipment (piercing, cutting, molten
metal splashes, infra-red radiation, etc.) |
|
Clothing to
provide protection from chemicals, heat resistant clothing, dust-proof
clothing and gas-proof clothing |
|
Thermal
clothing |
|
Clothing to
provide protection from radioactive contamination |
|
Fluorescent
signalling, retro-reflecting clothing and accessories (armbands, gloves,
reflector bands, etc.) |
|
Protective
coverings |
Annex 3
to the Procedure for Selection and Use of Personal Protective Equipment
Non-exhaustive
guide list of activities and sectors of activity which may require the provision
of personal protective equipment
|
Head
protection |
|
Protective
helmets |
Building
work, particularly work on, underneath or in the vicinity of scaffolding
and elevated workplaces, erection and stripping of form-work, assembly and
installation work, work on scaffolding, and other installation and
demolition work |
|
Work on
steel bridges, steel building construction, masts, towers, steel hydraulic
structures, steel works, rolling mills, boiler plants and power stations,
large containers and large pipelines |
|
Work in
underground workings, quarries, open diggings, shafts and tunnels |
|
Earth and
rock works |
|
Work with
bolt-driving tools |
|
Blasting
work |
|
Work in the
vicinity of lifts, lifting gear, cranes and conveyors |
|
Work with
blast furnaces, direct reduction plants, steelworks, metal casting,
rolling, forming and forging |
|
Shipbuilding |
|
Railway
shunting work |
|
Slaughterhouses |
|
Felling of
timber |
|
Foot
protection |
|
Safety
shoes with puncture proof soles |
Roadworks |
|
Work on
construction sites (scaffolding work, work with concrete, installation of
prefabricated parts, formwork erection and stripping) |
|
Roof work |
|
Safety
shoes without pierce-proof soles |
Work on
steel bridges, steel building construction, masts, towers, steel hydraulic
structures, steel works, rolling mills, boiler plants, power stations,
cranes, large containers and large pipelines |
|
Furnace
construction, heating and ventilation installation and metal assembly work |
|
Work with
blast furnaces, direct reduction plants, steelworks, metal casting, cold
and hot working of metals |
|
Work in
underground workings, quarries, open diggings, shafts and tunnels |
|
Earth and
rock works |
|
Flat glass
products and container glassware manufacture |
|
Work with
moulds in the ceramics industry |
|
Moulding
work in the ceramic ware and building materials industry |
|
|
Lining of
kilns in the ceramics industry |
|
Transport
and storage |
|
Work with
frozen meat blocks and handling of preserved foods |
|
Shipbuilding |
|
Railway
shunting work |
|
Felling of
timber |
|
Drilling
work |
|
Safety
shoes with heels or wedges and pierce-proof soles |
Roof work |
|
Protective
shoes with insulated soles |
Work with
and on very hot or very cold materials |
|
Safety
shoes which can easily be removed |
Where there
is a risk of penetration by molten substances |
|
Eye and
face protection |
|
Protective
goggles, face shields or screens |
Welding |
|
Forging,
grinding, drilling, turning and milling |
|
Rock
working and processing |
|
Work with
bolt-driving tools |
|
Work with
nail guns |
|
Spraying of
abrasive substances and liquids |
|
Work with
acids and caustic solutions, disinfectants and corrosive cleaning products |
|
Work with
and in the vicinity of molten substances |
|
Work with
radiant heat |
|
Work with
lasers |
|
Blasting
operations |
|
Other work
involving a risk of damage to the eyes or face |
|
Respiratory
protection |
|
Filters,
respirators and other breathing apparatus |
Work in
containers, restricted areas and gas-fired industrial furnaces where there
may be gas or insufficient oxygen |
|
Work in the
vicinity of the blast furnace charge |
|
Work in the
vicinity of gas converters and blast furnace gas pipes |
|
Work in the
vicinity of blast furnace taps where there may be heavy metal fumes |
|
Work on the
lining of furnaces and ladles where there may be dust |
|
|
Spray
painting where dedusting is inadequate |
|
Work in
shafts, sewers and other underground areas connected with sewage |
|
Work in
refrigeration plants where there is a danger that the refrigerant may
escape |
|
Work with
asbestos |
|
Work
involving carcinogens |
|
Work
involving benzene and lead |
|
Hearing
protection |
|
Ear
protectors |
Work with
metal presses |
|
Work with
pneumatic drills or hammers |
|
Pile
driving work |
|
Blasting
operations |
|
Wood and
textile working |
|
Work with
bolt-driving tools and nail guns |
|
Other work
where the noise level is higher than 85 dB(A) |
|
Body, hand
and arm protection |
|
Protective
clothing |
Work with
acids and caustic solutions, disinfectants and corrosive cleaning products |
|
Work with
or in the vicinity of hot materials and where the effects of heat are felt |
|
Work on
flat glass products |
|
Shot
blasting |
|
Work with
asbestos |
|
Work with
plant protection products and other repellents |
|
Work in
environments affected by biological risk factors belonging to hazard
divisions 3 and 4 |
|
Work in
deep-freeze rooms |
|
Fire-resistant protective clothing |
Welding in
restricted areas |
|
Pierce-proof aprons |
Boning and
cutting work |
|
Work with
hand knives involving drawing the knife towards the body |
|
Leather
aprons |
Welding |
|
Forging
|
|
Casting |
|
Forearm
protection |
Boning and
cutting |
|
Gloves |
Welding |
|
Handling of
sharp-edged objects, other than machines where there is a danger of the
glove's being caught |
|
Unprotected
work with acids and caustic solutions |
|
Metal mesh
gloves |
Boning and
cutting |
|
Regular
cutting using a hand knife for production of body of slaughtered animal
|
|
Changing
the knives of cutting machines |
|
Weatherproof clothing |
Work in the
open air in rain and cold weather |
|
Reflective
clothing |
Work where
the workers must be clearly visible |
|
Safety
belts and harnesses |
Work on
scaffolding or construction site cradles |
|
Assembly of
prefabricated parts during construction |
|
Roof work |
|
Work in
hoist carriers |
|
Work on
masts |
|
Safety
ropes and cables |
Work in
high crane cabs |
|
Work in
high cabs of warehouse stacking and retrieval equipment |
|
Work in
high sections of drilling towers |
|
Work in
shafts and sewers |
|
Skin
protection |
Processing
of coating materials |
|
Tanning |
|